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Four WWII Airmen From 'Heaven Can Wait' Laid to Rest After 81-Year Search

DNA testing confirmed the four airmen’s identities after a 2023 deep-sea recovery by Navy divers with Project Recover

Diane Christie wears a necklace with a photograph of her uncle, World War II U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Thomas Kelly, inside Santos Robinson Mortuary, Friday, May 23, 2025, in San Leandro, Calif. whose remains had been missing since being killed when the World War II bomber nicknamed Heaven Can Wait was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into the water off the coast of New Guinea on March 11, 1944. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
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An American flag is folded during the interment for World War II U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Eugene Darrigan at the cemetery behind St. Mary's church, Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. Darrigan was buried in his hometown after his remains were recovered from a World War II bomber that crashed into the water off the coast of New Guinea on March 11, 1944. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
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Overview

  • On March 11, 1944, the B-24 bomber 'Heaven Can Wait' was shot down off Papua New Guinea, killing all 11 crew members in what was deemed a non-recoverable crash.
  • Family researcher Scott Althaus initiated a search in 2013 that, in partnership with Project Recover, located the wreckage in 2017 at a depth of around 200 feet.
  • In 2023, elite Navy divers using a pressurized diving bell retrieved remains and personal artifacts that enabled DNA and anthropological identification.
  • Staff Sgt. Eugene Darrigan was buried in Wappingers Falls on May 24 and 2nd Lt. Thomas Kelly was laid to rest in Livermore on Memorial Day, with two more burials scheduled in the coming months.
  • The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency reports seven crew members remain unaccounted for and is considering additional recovery missions.